Winston’s breakout no mirage
sunday, we saw what best can be described as a “Hello!” moment from Jameis Winston.
I know, we knew who he was long before sunday’s breakout game against the Eagles. yes, he is one of the NFl’s young stars with magnificent potential. But his five-touchdown game was the first time we sat up and took notice. It represents the first significant evidence of that potential. The game put a number on his stat sheet that makes you stop and go, “Hello!”
It means that blip that represented Winston on the fantasy radar now will “blip” a little louder. The question is: Where will that blip lead you?
The quarterback position has been a disaster this season — andrew luck, Ben Roethlisberger, Peyton Manning, Tony Romo, et al, have battled injury at some point. This week, another replacement-level fantasy option was lost with Joe Flacco. The pickings are slim. so do you scramble to snag Winston off waivers? Was sunday’s five-touchdown effort a one-week wonder, or can he build on that outburst?
The short answer is an unenthusiastic “yes.” His worst days clearly are behind him. Through four games, he had six touchdowns with seven interceptions and a fumble. Over the next four, he had four touchdowns and no turnovers. He had gone two straight games without a passing touchdown before sunday, though those were offset by his third and fourth rushing scores of the season.
Winston has made strides, and the explosion against the Eagles easily was his biggest step to date. and it’s not as if Philadelphia gets toasted every week. The Eagles have a middle-of-the-pack fantasy defense. They’re not the saints.
speaking of the saints, they are on the Buccaneers’ schedule in Week 14. But that is the only “green light” fantasy matchup Winston has left. Next week he gets a “yellow light” against the Colts (11th fewest fantasy points to QBs), and another “yellow” in Week 16 against the Bears (15th). He gets a “red light” Week 13 against the Falcons (fourth fewest) and Week 15 against the Rams (second).
Winston, who is available in roughly 75 percent of standard leagues, is worth having on the roster for the coming weeks. He has proven he can rack up points against an average defense, and he gets at least one primo matchup.
But don’t solely lean on the rookie. He is a rookie after all, and you will want to avoid him at least twice in the coming weeks, one of which falls in the fantasy playoffs. But he does have great receivers, and has given you reason enough, in a season starving for decent quarterback options, to take a calculated risk.
If your quarterback patchwork this year has resulted in a roster that includes Flacco, Winston is a fine replacement. If you have been stashing Marcus Mariota, Matthew stafford or alex smith, say hello to a Winston upgrade. If you have Tyrod Taylor, Jay Cutler or Ryan Tannehill, Winston’s moment has yet to arrive for you.